A scene early in the movie documents the mental struggles of two men trained to launch the United States" nuclear weaponry. After failing to successfully launch the missiles during what turned out to be a training routine, the man in charge of NORAD's computer system explains, "Those men in the silos know what it means to turn the key, and some of them are just not up to it." The men in the silo are aware of the repercussions of their actions. A nuclear holocaust could begin with a single turn of a key, and their fears are mirrored in the fears of population of the United States as a whole. The key scene in the movie centers on NORAD's computer learning something valuable about nuclear warfare that most Americans were already aware of: "[Global Thermonuclear War is] A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.".
WarGames also hints at the incredible concern the government has regarding the search for communist spies. The director of the FBI is convinced that David is a spy for the Soviet Union, claiming, "He does fit the profile perfectly. He's intelligent but an underachiever, alienated from his parents, has few friends. A classic case for recruitment by the Soviets." Without a single piece of evidence, or even an interrogation, David is immediately categorized as a spy for the communists. The director continues, "Now, what does this say about the state of our country?" This brief exchange does illustrate expertly the state of our country at the time. This whole conversation, vaguely reminiscent of the Red Scare in the early 20s, shows both how little has changed, and how far we've come. David was accused of espionage and was to be sent to a federal prison. While the evidence to support such a charge was weak, it is apparent that the treatment of accused spies in the 1980s is in accordance with the laws of the United States, unlike some similar actions in the 20s.
